Guidance published for countries to include genetic diversity in their National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs)

Recently several scientists from GEO BON - as well as colleagues from the AHTEG, IUCN, and other organizations - developed suggestions for including genetic diversity in biodiversity planning.  The suggestions were developed in the context of the CBD National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs) which are to be submitted this year, but the guidance also applies to local, regional, or supranational biodiversity planning, including by local governments, NGOs, and business.  The 31 authors, led by Sean Hoban (The Morton Arboretum), Jess da Silva (SANBI) and Christina Hvilsom (Copenhagen Zoo), represent 21 countries.

The suggestions were developed by reviewing 20 recently published (past few years) NBSAPs, including 8 submitted since COP15.  The authors identified ten suggestions for better including genetic diversity in targets, actions and planning, capacity and resourcing, and monitoring and reporting.  These include ensuring an inclusive, whole of society approach; making sure that national targets include all elements of Target 4 including within and among population genetic diversity; evaluating capacity for monitoring and reporting on genetic diversity; and summarizing existing in-country knowledge on genetic diversity.  

A free-to-access preprint of the paper is available here.  A two-page policy brief has also been published, and is available here, in numerous languages (below).

We thank the following people who provided translations: Abdeldjalil Aissi, Sibelle Torres Vilaça, Gernot Segelbacher, Ivan Paz-Vinas, Myriam Heuertz, and Sally Katee.